Crazy dog mom

kaos16

My family is planning a vacation for a week over Thanksgiving.  As such, we need to board our dog for the first time since we have had him.  We got him in October, so it'll be just over a year that he is with us.  Any other time we have gone away for a few days, he has stayed with my parents.  This is going to be 8 days that we are boarding him at his vet.  When getting the info today, the vet tech explained that he will be in a large kennel for the duration of his stay and that they are walked 3 times a day. 

Does that sound normal?  To those who have previously boarded, did you see any changes in personality/routine when you brought your pup home?  We never crate our dog at home, so I am just afraid he'll revert. . . . or that he'll have negative flashbacks to before we adopted him (no idea where he was or what his situation was for the 2+ years of his life before we got him)

Am I just being crazy/paranoid/ridiculous?

edited because I can't read apparently!

ashley8918

Yes, that is completely normal and he will be fine. We have boarded our dogs several times and they have come home no different than before.

AzAnnie

It sounds normal. We used to board our pets when we travel but we found a service that will come into our house and stay overnight with them. So much better. We have a doggie door so staying home by themselves during the day is not an issue.

kaos16

AzAnnie said:

It sounds normal. We used to board our pets when we travel but we found a service that will come into our house and stay overnight with them. So much better. We have a doggie door so staying home by themselves during the day is not an issue.

So interesting. . . I don't know that we have that around here.  Is it weird to have someone staying at your house?

I think i'm just paranoid because I have no knowledge about where he came from and I am afraid of traumatizing him. . . . . good luck to my future children!!

lyndausvi

Sounds normal.  

However, we purposely board at locations that have daycare also.  It costs a little more, but having him in daycare during the day I know will tire him out so much.  Being in a crate all night will does not bother him.

ETA 

d2va

Im definitely a crazy dog mom, BUT my dog was abused so I only board her with my trainer, because a kennel environment would not be good for her.

 I dont know if it is more expensive or not, but I pay a discounted rate because I am a client of $20 per day. She lets my Lily sleep in her bed with her and hangout in her room when no one is home.

mrscaty

I have pet-sat before for family friends. I would stay at their house and make sure the dogs were fed/walked/played with. Perhaps there is someone you know that you can trust if you don't feel comfortable with the kennel?

ETA: This sounds normal for a kennel and I'm sure your dog would be well taken care of

penguin44

This sounds normal, but I found a kennel that lets the dogs have their own room that has a little door that goes outside to a fenced in yard. It's more expensive, but so worth it for my sanity. 

I wouldn't feel comfortable putting my dogs in a crate for a week. They have chewed through too many crates... and walls...

MamaAlly89

This is normal of all boarding places. When we have to go out of town we use petvacay.com for our pooch. It's basically like babysitters for your furbabies!! And (at least in our area) it was cheaper than a kennel. The lady we picked was a stay at home mom and she just did this to make a little extra income. We were able to go over early meet her, see the house, and meet her dog. It was great! You pay through the website so it is secure, and they even supply you with insurance so that if anything happens to your dog its covered. I definitely recommend looking into if they have it in your area!

Sugargirl1019

I would find a place like a pet resort where the dogs have their own square room with a doggy door to an outside area for pottying and a regular glass door to the humans.

We put raider in a place like this, and I think he didn't miss us. He had play time three times a day with other dogs, and he always had enough room to move around. He had room for his kennel, bed, and potty pads with floor to spare.

LabLove86

My first career was as a Vet Tech and I was constantly staying at clients houses to pet-sit for them. Some people are more comfortable with having someone stay at their home as opposed to taking their pet somewhere. Also - some pets do better when they stay at home as opposed to being kenneled- and other pets are totally fine being kenneled. . . .  If you are uncomfortable with boarding your pup/having him be in a cage for most of his stay then you could always ask the clinic if they have anyone that pet-sits or recommends anyone that you could contact.

Otherwise as PP have said I would look into actual boarding facilities as opposed to an animal clinic. Unfortunately MOST clinics are just not equipped for boarding of pets other than to have them in cages for the majority of the day (not in my area anyway - maybe they have a good program where you are). And I am sure these cages have ample room with some toys so he won't get bored - but a boarding facility/daycare center/ house-sitter may make you feel more comfortable - just be prepared for the financial difference.

pinkshorts27

Check online around you. We found some friends that started a doggy boarding in their home. We helped start them off so our dogs just go play with her dogs. They are soooo much happier than at the boarding place!